The start of the 56th annual Farm Science Review was an opportunity for leaders at The Ohio State University to reaffirm a commitment to the state’s agricultural roots.

The Farm Science Review is the annual agricultural trade show hosted by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The three-day event is held at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center near London, Ohio.

President Michael V. Drake and Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Dean of CFAES Cathann Kress spoke at a luncheon of 600 faculty, lawmakers and agriculture industry experts on the first day of the trade show.

“It’s a natural outgrowth of our founding land-grant mission,” Drake said. “Here, our research scientists and their collaborators in academia and industry gather to share their expertise with people all over Ohio, across the country and around the world.”

More than 130,000 visitors are expected to attend the Farm Science Review. The event runs through Thursday.

Drake and Kress used their time at the luncheon to highlight the success of the university and the desire to help lead the continuing evolution of agriculture.

“The land-grant university was created on the concept of change. Our early educators and researchers, they weren’t researching and teaching practices everyone already knew or were comfortable with. They were doing things with new ideas, different techniques and innovative practices,” Kress said. “Change is kind of our thing.”

Kress said the goal of CFAES was to more efficient, effective and responsive to the people in Ohio, the region and the world.

“We spend a lot of time thinking about our land-grant DNA and what are some of the things that we really need to be paying attention to and focusing on,” Kress said.

Ohio State is helping with research on precision agriculture and water quality designed to help farmers and policymakers find the right way to balance issues such as food security and food production and varying characteristics of urban and rural economies.

Drake noted the university was experiencing a period of historic success in enrollment, fundraising and health care. He said continuing support for Ohio State’s research and Extension programs was at the core of the university’s ability to advance Ohio’s agriculture industry.

“Together, we create a more sustainable world, a more sustainable food supply and a cleaner, more productive environment,” Drake said. “Achieving goals like these can be challenging, but finding solutions is what we do every day.”